The Kominsky Method released its second season in October of 2019 and won Michael Douglas a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Series. Created by Chuck Lorre, The Kominsky Method is based around a former actor (Sandy Kominsky) and his life with best friend and agent, Norman Newlander. Considering Sandy and Norman aren't young men anymore, viewers see the two go through the ups and downs aging comes with. And as two men in showbusiness, we learn a lot about the pros and cons of that lifestyle.
With the third season currently up in the air with Netflix, The Kominsky Method deals with a lot of dark issues in a raw and, sometimes, uplifting way. Let's take a look at 10 of the darkest and most honest moments.
Sandy's Lung Cancer Scare
Cancer is a big topic in The Kominsky Method. In the first episode of the series, we learn that Norman's darling wife Eileen is terminally ill with cancer and is on her last leg. As we know, she later passes away, which is quite distressing to Norman, Sandy, and Sandy's daughter Mindy.
In the second season, it's not just Eileen that lost her life to cancer, Sandy is now diagnosed with lung cancer. Thankfully, it was in the early stages and he goes through the ups and downs of the disease.
Martin's Heart Attack
Heart attacks can happen to anyone, especially the older a person gets. With The Kominsky Method touching base on real moments that come with age, we see Mindy's boyfriend, Martin, suffer a heart attack. Thankfully, he was with Sandy and Norman at the time and was taken care of immediately.
Martin was thankful for a second chance at life but he broke down in an acting class, proving that he wasn't mentally okay. He was scared. His heart attack reminded him that he didn't make much of his life and that he needed to make a change. This is a raw reminder for many viewers.
The Death Of A Spouse
After meeting Eileen and realizing what a sweetheart she was, it was upsetting when she lost her battle with cancer. Norman was clearly lost without his wife and was by her side for years and years. Although Eileen's funeral was more of a party, Norman had a hard time celebrating the good times because he missed her so much.
Later at a friend's funeral, Norman runs into an ex-girlfriend named Madelyn. The twosome seemed like a perfect pair because Madelyn was also a widow who loved her husband very much. Seeing the two bond over loss was deeply distressing.
Addiction
It's not until Eileen passes away that we learn Norman and Eileen had a daughter. Her name was Phoebe and she was a drug addict who never checked in on her sick mother once. After years of supporting Phoebe and trying to get her sober, the family of three had a falling out. Things got worse when Phoebe showed up at Eileen's funeral hammered under the influence.
Later in the series, Phoebe goes to rehab and comes back a changed woman. Her new behavior, however, takes Norman a little while to get used to. The series does a great job of showing the pains of addiction from all angles.
Grief With Age And Change
The older you get, the more changes there are. Many of those changes being negative. For Sandy, it all started when he had trouble peeing. He either always had to pee or had trouble peeing when he finally found a restroom.
We also see Sandy and Norman making fun of their favorite waiter Alex because of how slow he walked and how old he was. Things get more intimate when Sandy and Norman try to bed their new girlfriends and are nervous about their performance in their old age. Getting old is natural, of course, but it's new for everyone and the show does a great job of talking about it.
Daddy Issues
Early on we learn that Sandy wasn't always the most thoughtful daughter. Mindy criticizes him for not always being there and forgetting about her often. It doesn't help his case that he and his ex-wife have a horrible relationship. But like many families, we see Sandy and Mindy try to work through their issues as adults. No matter how crappy of a dad Sandy was, Mindy still loves her father.
Over at Sandy's acting studio, we meet a woman named Darshani who isn't the best actress. Sandy sees potential with her and urges her to dig deep. It's then that we learn she had serious family issues where she was abused — something that happens far too often.
Financial Issues
At the end of the first season, Mindy finds out that her dad was ordered to pay over $300,000 in back taxes. As a semi-washed up actor, Sandy didn't have $300,000 lying around to pay the IRS.
His negligence didn't just affect him, it affected his daughter who also worked at the studio. Thankfully, Norman stepped in and helped Sandy and Mindy out but it's a constant struggle and fear that one too many people face every day.
Dating Someone New After Heartbreak
Whether it's death, a breakup, or a serious divorce — heartbreak isn't easy. Some people find comfort in the arms of another person while others need more time to themselves. After meeting Lisa in his acting class, Sandy falls for her in a genuine way and learns she's recently divorced. Lisa has a great mindset about her new life, however, which intrigues Sandy.
For Norman, we saw him struggle with falling back in love with an old girlfriend after losing his wife. He wasn't just nervous about an old flame, he felt a small twinge of betrayal for his deceased wife. This feeling of love and loss is something we can all connect with.
And Dating Someone Older
It was shocking to both Sandy and viewers that Mindy had a much older boyfriend. His name was Martin and he was a very sweet and compassionate man who just so happened to fall in love with a woman who was much younger than he was.
In today's society, it's still seen as strange for couples who have large age gaps but it's something that does, in fact, happen. As of the second season, we don't see Mindy and Martin in many intimate moments, but it's clear they have a deep love and understanding of one another.
An Actor's Truth
If a person is ever considering acting or wants to learn more about acting as an artform, watching The Kominsky Method is a wonderful start. Sandy may not be the best actor but his acting class teaches us a lot about the profession.
After Darshani's upsetting meltdown on stage, we learn that she turned to acting as a way to get outside of her body. It was a way to be anyone else but her, which was something other members in the class seemed to understand.